Head of city police union to step down

Elliott cites tumultuous time for service, need to manage mental health challenges

The head of Edmonton's police union is leaving the position partway through his second term, saying he wants to focus on his family and mental health.

Staff Sgt. Michael Elliott on Sunday confirmed to Postmedia that he will step down as president of the Edmonton Police Association in January, necessitating a byelection to replace him for the one year remaining on his term.

“It's been rewarding but stressful at the same time,” Elliott said in a text. “January will be six years as president and 17 years with the association. I need a break. I have not ruled out running again down the road but my mental health is more important at the moment.”

A former Whyte Avenue beat cop, Elliott was first elected by officers in 2017. He has been active on social media, posting regularly about mental health issues, but has also become increasingly combative with members of council critical of the police.

“During my two terms as president, we have endured BLM (Black Lives Matter protests) and the `defund the police' movement, several community-based protests, the task force recommendations related to policing changes, COVID-19, sustained pressures from select city councillors, numerous budget debates, scrutiny from journalists and bloggers, Bill 32, and a small vocal minority criticizing every move and decision we make,” Elliott said in a letter to the association's nearly 2,000 members.

“Although I have been particularly good at recommending members to take a break and take time off to recharge, I have not always been good at following my own advice,” he added. “That is why I have made the decision to return to the service, commencing in January 2023. We all have to look after ourselves and our families and it is time for me to put my health first.”

Originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, Elliott joined EPS in 2005 after a stint with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He joined the association's executive a short time later.

Elliott took over as president at a time of turmoil for the union. The association removed previous president Maurice Brodeur in 2016 following a contentious news conference in which he highlighted an internal survey critical of then-chief Rod Knecht, claiming the service ran on a “culture of fear.” The position was filled by an interim president until Elliott's election in December 2017.

In 2019, Elliott spoke in a candid CBC radio interview about the impacts of mental illness on first responders, describing in particular the impacts of a suicide call earlier in his career.

“I would dream of this body, but my father's face would be on this body,” he said. “That occurred for about two months ... I can remember coming down trying to make coffee and the coffee machine wouldn't work, and I'd take that coffee machine and I'd throw it out through the back door. People would ask, `What's your problem?' and I'd go silent, not realizing these are the side effects of these traumatic events.”

More recently, Elliott has been outspoken regarding criticism of Edmonton police officers, which has become more common following global protests in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

In February 2021, Elliott criticized the police service's decision to apologize after two officers were filmed ordering a group of homeless people to leave an LRT station, saying the officers were being unfairly “chastised” for doing their jobs.

That April, Elliott spoke out after then-mayor Don Iveson criticized council tours of a temporary COVID-19 homeless shelter offered by downtown beat officers to highlight crime and disorder at the facility. Iveson declined the tour, arguing it violated the “privacy and dignity” of shelter residents and alleging previous delegations had not worn proper COVID protection, which Elliott disputed.

More recently, Elliott has sparred with Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz, filing an unsuccessful code of conduct complaint over the councillor's use of Twitter to allegedly disparage officers. Janz, who was later dinged by the city's integrity commissioner for retweeting a post which referred to a police officer as a pig, called Elliott's complaint “a blatant attempt at intimidation intended to silence an elected official in the first three months in office.”

Elliott also criticized Mayor Amarjeet Sohi for failing to attend an annual event at the provincial memorial to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Sohi said he was not invited to attend, adding he visited the memorial at a later date.

In his letter to members, Elliott highlighted as successes the 2018-2020 collective agreement and the acquisition of a new office building for the union. He said the association is looking to secure an arbitration date for a new agreement.

Elliott said he has yet to find out where he will be placed once he returns to active-duty policing.

We all have to look after ourselves and our families and it is time for me to put my health first.